Hunter Biden's novice artwork has amassed $1.4 million and it has been revealed that one of the top purchasers is a prominent Democratic donor and close family friend of President Joe Biden, who was appointed to a prestigious commission by the President, according to a report on Monday.
Although there was a promise to keep the identities of all purchasers confidential, two names have been revealed: Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali, a real estate investor and Democratic donor based in Los Angeles, and Kevin Morris, a Hollywood attorney. Naftali bought one of Hunter's works, according to Business Insider, as indicated by sales records maintained by his art dealer, the Georges Bergès Gallery of Manhattan.
Expensive Buy
When Hunter Biden initially revealed his foray into the high-dollar art world, the Biden team assured that the identities of the purchasers of his artworks would be kept confidential.
During his campaign, Joe Biden pledged to uphold an "absolute wall" between his role as president and any business dealings involving his family. However, the promises seem to have been already broken.
In 2021, Hunter Biden made his debut at a prestigious art gallery in New York City, where some of his amateur artworks were priced as high as $500,000.
The White House stated that the buyers had been vetted, and their identities were only known to the art gallery, suggesting that his art sales would not be exploited as a means to sell White House influence.
However, according to an Insider report citing three people with direct knowledge of Biden's art career, Hunter Biden did, in fact, become aware of the identities of two of his art purchasers, despite the initial assurances of anonymity.
In July 2022, eight months after Hunter Biden's art gallery opened, Joe Biden appointed Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali to the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad. It is not definitively clear whether Naftali had already purchased the art from Hunter Biden's gallery at the time of her appointment.
All Within the Family Circle
Membership on the Commission for the Preservation of America's Heritage Abroad is unpaid and frequently bestowed upon friends and allies of the president, similar to ambassadorships.
Naftali holds a significant presence in California Democratic circles. She has contributed approximately $13,000 to the Biden campaign and donated $29,700 to the Democratic National Campaign Committee this year.
Also, she hosted a fundraiser last year that featured Vice President Kamala Harris as the main attraction.
The exact amount Elizabeth Hirsch Naftali spent on Hunter Biden's art remains uncertain. However, one unidentified purchaser acquired 11 of Hunter's paintings for a total of $875,000.
This buyer is listed as "out of state" in the purchasing documents obtained by Insider, and their identity remains unknown.
A Biden administration official told the publication that Naftali was recommended for her preservation-board post by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and that her appointment was not related to the art purchase.
An email retrieved from Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop implies that he has helped people in securing positions on the commission in the past. When his cousin asked for help in obtaining a similar appointment for their mother, Hunter mentioned that Eric Schwerin, a former business partner, had sought one of these positions the day after the 2008 election, and he was later appointed to the commission by President Obama in 2015.
Kevin Morris, who is described as a confidant and 'fixer' for Hunter Biden, has purchased artworks from the first son, and the specific amount remains undisclosed.
The wealthy Los Angeles-based attorney has also lent Hunter approximately $2 million to settle his back taxes and evade felony charges. Recently, Hunter pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges for his tax-related offenses.
According to the New York Times, Morris has at times covered Hunter Biden's living expenses in Los Angeles. He also played a significant role in securing a high-powered literary agent for Hunter's memoir, 'Beautiful Things,' and facilitated the art gallery deal.
In addition to his financial support for Hunter, Morris has made substantial contributions amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars to Democratic causes.
Republicans have been targeting Hunter Biden, alleging involvement in influence-peddling schemes. Recently, they released an unverified FBI form, where a confidential human source reported a conversation with a Burisma executive.
According to the form, the executive claimed that Hunter and Joe Biden were paid $5 million each in exchange for policy outcomes while Joe Biden served as vice president. It's important to note that the information on the FBI form is unverified and subject to investigation and verification.
